How to Handle Post Ops when Leaving Job

[Jummy Biffett]

Let's say you're planning on leaving a soul-sucking PP associate job. Let's say you also have a handful of recent post-op patients. How does one go about this without opening yourself up to Patient Abandonment issues?

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[icebreaker32]

You have to get them through the critical healing stages of elective procedures.....I would think a couple months would usually be enough. Stop booking more cases.

 

[Pronation]

Let's say you're planning on leaving a soul-sucking PP associate job. Let's say you also have a handful of recent post-op patients. How does one go about this without opening yourself up to Patient Abandonment issues?

It's not patient abandonment. These patients don't belong to you, they belong to the practice. It's your boss' problem.

 

[NatCh]

It's not patient abandonment. These patients don't belong to you, they belong to the practice. It's your boss' problem.

^This. You can walk away. I did.

 

[NatCh]

You have to get them through the critical healing stages of elective procedures.....I would think a couple months would usually be enough. Stop booking more cases.

That would be nice but more than necessary. The practice that you're leaving will be available to see any post-ops.

 

[Feli]

It's not patient abandonment. These patients don't belong to you, they belong to the practice. It's your boss' problem.

Yep, tough to swallow but true. Don't feel responsible.

It's probably good form to not book elective cases for at least a month or two, but the practice/hospital is responsible for them... not you.

 

[NatCh]

It's probably good form to not book elective cases for at least a month or two, but the practice/hospital is responsible for them... not you.

Before I departed a practice I had a few cases on the schedule. I called the patients and told them that I would be leaving. I gave the patients the option of having the surgery with me then following up with one of the other doctors, or rescheduling with one of the other doctors. Whatever works best for the patient.

 

[dtrack22]

You have to get them through the critical healing stages of elective procedures.....I would think a couple months would usually be enough. Stop booking more cases.

You just leave. Obviously if you know you’re leaving then you should avoid booking elective cases the weeks/month before your departure. But you don’t have to.

Honestly if you’re in a crappy PP job then you should immediately do as little as humanly possible, stop worrying about any “bonus” money, collect your crappy base salary, use up what little PTO you might have, and coast for the last few weeks/months. Scheduling surgery would be dumb if you subscribe to the dtrack school of thought on leaving jobs.

 

[icebreaker32]

You have to get them through the critical healing stages of elective procedures.....I would think a couple months would usually be enough. Stop booking more cases.

Well certainly when you work for a group…..they can get the patient through the patient the critical healing stages and are obligated to do so. Your risk of problems with any state board for abandonment is not really a concern as they have the chart and the patient is established at the practice. They could fire you tomorrow, take your key for the office and have your personal items in a box if they wanted to in which case you could not see the patients if even if you wanted to

So others are not wrong to suggest nothing is requiring you to stay a set amount of time. I would personally still stop doing future elective surgeries if I knew I was leaving a couple months out if possible.